Mihi - Manuhiri

Ko Ranginui kei runga 

Ko Papatuanuku kei raro 

Ko nga tangata kei waenganui 

Tihei (wa) Mauri Ora!

E mihi ana ahau (Kei te mihi ahau) 

I te Matua nui i te rangi 

Nana nei nga mea katoa.

Papatuanuku te whaea

Tena Koe

I te wao nui o Tanemahuta koe e tu ana 

Tanemahuta

Kati inaianei

E nga Tangata whenua 

Karanga mai, karanga mai, karanga mai 

Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou

Tena Koutou i o tatou tini mate 

Haere, haere, haere.

Te hunga mate ki te hunga mate 

Te hunga ora ki te hunga ora

E te kai karanga 

Tena koe, tena koe, tena koe

E te kai karanga 

Tena koe, tena koe, tena koe

Tena koutou ki a koutou Greetings to you

kua tae mai nei who have arrived

ki te awhi i a matou to help us

i tenei ra.

 E tika ana te korero 

i o tatou tupuna

Waiho i te toipoto 

Kaua i te toiroa

Ko Tainui te waka

Ko Waikato te awa

Ko Taupirir te maunga

Ko Ngati maahanga, Ngati Tamainupo nga hapu.

Ko Waingaro te marae

Ko Nga Tokotoru te wharenui

Ko Dean raua Ko Julia oku matua

Ko Ben ahau

No reira tena koutou, tena kotou tena tatou katoa.

All Blacks vs Ireland

He te pai kemu

He tino pai te kapa o pango

engari he tino pai te kapa o Ireland

He tino pai a Ben Smith

He tino Koretake a Julian Savea 

He tino nui a Dan Coles

Why it is good To take Maori

Living in Aoetearoa, Te reo is our native language therefore Maori being our native culture. At the moment the Maori culture and language is dying and it is our job as new Zealanders to help rebirth our native culture. Taking Maori is a fun way to help learn about the Maori language, culture and Maori games it is also a way to save the Maori culture especially if you are Maori and therefore taking Maori will allow you to connect with your past and learn about your ancestors. 

Personal Opinion: 

In My personal opinion I have taken Maori for the last 3 years and plan to take it all the way through, In my experience I have been through 3 Maori teachers and all been great and helped cause Maori to be a fun and enjoyable subject. Personally I am Maori and taking Maori as an option has helped me to be able to connect with my past, learn about my ancestors and learn where I come from. So Personally I recommend Maori to anyone because it is a fun way to learn about the culture of the country you live in but if you are Maori I especially encourage you to take Maori because it will help to teach you about your past.

   

Maori Pa Site

A Maori Pa site is a heavily fortified defensive fort strategically placed on hills near natural barriers such as the sea or rivers. The reason they were placed on hills was due to the fact that it therefore meant the tanagata whenua had the higher ground therefore giving them an edge over the attackers.

A Maori Pa Site consists of many wooden posts surrounding every side as well as it being many different levels making defending the pa site easier. Many of the materials around the pa are depending on the natural resources around them for example pa sites inland would be different to those near water sources like the sea.

Pa sites are the most heavily defended areas of the tribe therefore being a stronghold of the tribe, a place where they could go and feel safe from the war around them. What makes this so special is that Every pa site has its own protective deity which is buried under one of the corner posts, this contains the mana and prestige of the pa site.

War in Māori tradition

War is a very common theme in many Maori Myths. One example is the Maori Myth of Creation where the sons fought after separating their parents Ranginui and Papatuanuku. One of the sons Tumatauenga was victorious then he punished his brothers.  

Tūmatauenga is one of the major God of wars. There are also many others such as Kahukura and Uenuku, then there is also  Maru, a war god in the Taranaki region.

Making war

Wars broke out between tribal groups for a number of reasons, including land, food and natural resources. Wars were also fought to gain mana or revenge.

Māori weapons

Traditional Māori weapons were designed for close quarters, hand to hand combat. There many weapons such as:

Taiaha 

 
 Pouwhenua

Tewhatewha

 
Tao

 Patu

 
   
Battle strategies and terms
A war party was called a taua. The size of the taua vary from a couple           hundred warriors to a small group of warriors. Maori used deception and trickery as a common ways to fight. Sometimes tribes would tell other tribes they want peace and invite them over but then they would suddenly attack taking them by surprise. Because their villages were hard to get into tricks were used get people out. One tribe made a large fake whale out of dog skin and hid warriors inside to attack the villagers who came to investigate.

Preparations for battle

Battles usually took place in the summer months, after the harvest was             finished. Sometimes alliances were made between different groups before a   battle. Gifts were given, and if they were accepted it meant a willingness to       join in battle. A tohunga would put the war party under tapu before they set       out. Before they went to fight Maori would do the haka. The haka is a war         dance that warriors do before they go to battle to connect with their                   ancestors and scare the tribe their fighting.

The battle

The first person killed in a battle would have their heart cut out and offered to a god as a sign of respect. The leader would often stand behind his troops and exhort them. After the battle the victors would take prisoners of the defeated people, and women and children would become slaves. In some cases, some of the defeated people would be killed and eaten. Sometimes the groups would intermarry. When the war party returned home they would undergo a ritual cleansing, which involved lifting the tapu.

Making peace

At the end of a war it was vital to make peace. Sometimes arranged marriages between the victors and high-ranking women of the defeated tribes were used to seal peace.

After a series of wars the Moriori people of Rēkohu (Chatham Islands) declared an end to war and had a long period of peace.

Process of a Tangihanga

A tangihanga is like a funeral of saying goodbye to loved ones. This tangi has many processes and protocols that need to be followed to therefore complete the ceremony and release and say goodbye to your loved ones. although many tangihangas are similar each iwi has there own different variation on how they celebrate this process.

My Personal experience

My first experience of a Maori tangi was when my uncle died earlier this year it was a very sad moment when we found out about his passing and although it was a very mournful time it was good to be able to spend it with the family and experience the process of a tangihanga. During this time We experienced a Whakangahau , a Poroporoaki, the Burial process and the hakari or celebration after all of which I will explain the process on further on in the passage.

Po Whakangahau

A couple days after the person has died they will be returned to the family or marae where they will lay in an open casket for a couple days before the tangihanga ceremony. During the time that they lay their, there must always be a person laying or sitting either side of the casket to protect them. As they lie in the casket this is the time for the family members or friends or the deceased to come and say goodbye to the person or show penance to the family.

Poroporoaki

The night before the tangihanga the family and friends all gather in the wharenui or marae where they all talk and share stories about there experiences with the deceased. This is a time of mourning and happiness as people perform, sing, tell jokes, to try and cheer up and help farewell the deceased.

Ceremony or Tangihanga
The Ceremony or Tangihanga is the final farewell to the deceased when the priest comes onto the marae or wharenui to perform a service where they sing waiatas and himenes. The body is then taken onto a cemetery where for burial. The custom after this process is to wash your hands with water to remove the tapu when exiting the cemetery. The priest also needs to remove the tapu from the wharenui or marae and this is done by the priest walking through this area chanting karakia.

Hakari
The Hakari is like the celebration after the formal farewell of the deceased this is where all the friends and family come together to have a feast and celebration where everyone can have fun and try to forget the mournful periods that have been before them.

Maori Pepeha
Kia Ora te whanau tena koutou katoa
Ko Tainui te waka
Ko Waikato te awa
Ko Taupiri te maunga
Ko Ngati Maahanga, Ngati tamainupo nga hapu
Ko Waingarote marae
Ko nga Tokotoru te wharenui
Ko Dean raua Ko Julia oku matua
Ko Ben ahau
No reira Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena tatou katoa.